The Cains

34 months, 10 years

2012-02-16T20:57:00.002-06:00

Say it ain't so! Our sweet first-born is two short months away from three - hard to believe! Even harder to believe is that Miss Emma is 10 - that's right - 10 years old!! What a fun day for Catherine Ellis and Emma to share - although, I must admit Emma isn't keen on sharing it.

For a chow she has done extremely well as we've continued to add people to her family - first David, then Cain, next Catherine Ellis and the newest little member, Caroline. Emma loves them all in her own special way, but she still loves her Mama the most. She has been THE best companion for the last 10 years. The best dog a person could ever want. She's the last of her litter left, but we know she'll be around for many, many more years! She runs this house and protects us all fiercely!

Happy Birthday Emma!

Catherine Ellis is 34 months and so much like a little girl these days - the baby days are coming to a close and as usual, this Mama thinks it's bittersweet. I love my sweet baby girl, but we also love how well she is growing and the joy and fun she brings to our lives. Happy 34 months sweet child. You have certainly changed our lives forever!

February 9, 2012

Here are some fun things you're up to these days:

you have an infectious joy for life - you don't let a moment slip by and you seem to be able to capture the beauty of each day. For this we are eternally grateful that you are a constant reminder to us of just how wonderful life is!
you can already hold up 3 fingers to show us how old you will be in a couple of months.
you are charming as the dickens!
you understand your Nick Junior shows now - you get it when something is funny and you follow along easily.
you love chapstick - you call it clapstick - you especially like to steal your Daddy's.
your hair is WILD! It's starting to curl and point in every direction. You look just like your Daddy when you wake up in the morning or from naps!
you still LOVE your baby dolls - you're a very good Mommy. You typically pick one baby doll to love on for a few weeks and then move on to the next. Right now Suzy is your constant companion.
you have a passion for jewelry - a little girl after her Mommy's heart:) You wear rings to school every day now.
you LOVE LOVE LOVE your little sister. You constantly talk to her, help her when we're riding in the car to find her passie, toy, etc. You read books to her, sing to her and play with her. She ADORES you. I hope the two of you are always this close.
you dislike time out - and it works. You can't stand having to sit on the rug in your room and be away from everyone and all the action.
dance class on Thursdays is your favorite activity now - I know your first real dance classes this summer will be a huge hit.
you were one of the stars in Mommy's fundraising video for our homeless child care - you said you wanted to be a Mommy when you grew up - precious!
Still sleeping well - 11-13 hours most nights.
Pancakes and chips are your favorite foods this month.
You've discovered Play Doh - Mommy hates it - you love it!
You can climb the climbing wall at the park all by yourself - and navigate the slide. A common phrase we here from you "No, I gone do it."

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven."

Luke 6:23

A day at the park

2012-02-15T20:39:00.007-06:00

It's been a while since my last update - it's event season - so much of my free time is spent working or trying to catch a few minutes of shut-eye! We've been in full swing around here and have loved every minute of the "Callie weather" - 60's - this winter. I'll take a mild winter any day!

A few weekends ago we met our friend William and his Mommy Steph at the park for one last bit for fun before the weekend was over! We had such a good time! Caroline had her first experience in the swing and I think it's safe to say she liked it. She's not quite as high in the sky as her sister, but she did like watching just how high Catherine Ellis could go! We're eagerly anticipating spring around here - bring it on!

Not too sure about the swing yet!

Catherine Ellis - high in the sky!

Getting the hang of the swing!

Precious little swinging child!

Time to go home, but loving the swing - we'll be back soon!

Watch out world

2012-01-22T20:08:00.007-06:00

Caroline is about to be on the move - for real! She's super duper close to crawling and is constantly trying to figure out how to get something - anything that is within her eye's view! It's such a fun time for her and Catherine Ellis is delighted that baby sister can now play with her. The first thing Catherine Ellis says when she wakes up most mornings is "I wanna play with my baby Caroline." Precious!

Here is a glimpse of how on the move she is - this was during her 8 month photos I took last week:

Sweet C's mischievous grin .... this is how we know she's about to take off!

Let's see - where should I start first?

Going ....

Going ...

Going ....

Almost gone ....

Mommy to the rescue - boy, that was fun!

And last but not least, this is her latest trick - army crawling 101:

Holy Baptism - Caroline Elizabeth Cain

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

Caroline was welcomed to the Christian community on January 8th - the first Sunday of Epiphany this year and the Baptism of our Lord. What a fabulous day! It was also the same day her big sister was baptized two short years ago.

Caroline was also baptised at Camp McDowell at our parish retreat. What a treat! The weather was yucky (rain and fog), but the service was amazing. The three wise men visited, the parish choir was there in all their glory and tons of family and friends were on hand to welcome sweet C to our community of faith. We are blessed beyond measure.

David and I want to thank everyone that traveled far and near to be a part of Caroline's big day - words can not express how much each and every one of you mean to us! And for those that couldn't be there, we know you were there in spirit - thank you for loving Caroline and supporting her!

Fair warning - there are LOTS of pictures in this post!

Hanging out with Godfather Joey - very sleepy baby!

Baptismal font flowers

Meme and Caroline

Godmother Caroline and Caroline -
she started sleeping as soon as the service started.

Getting ready for baptism, sweet C is still snoozing!

Daddy got to sprinkle the water and this woke Caroline up

Waking up to Huey - it only took a few seconds for her to start crying ....

Caroline's baptism candle that we'll light each year on her anniversary

Sweet C, Godmother Amanda and Sophie the giraffe

Granddaddy and Caroline

Caroline with all her Godparents

Caroline and the Bates side of the family

Meme and her girls (and fav son-in-law)

Caroline and the Greats

Caroline and the Globettis

Caroline and the Florys

Caroline and the Carmichaels

Caroline and the Nations

Caroline and the Cains

Our family

Caroline with her beautiful flowers

Happy Baptism Day Caroline!

Aunt B, Sweet C & Meme

Granddaddy and the girls

The Bendingers and the Cains

Godfather Joey and Caroline

Lauren & Caroline

Godmother Amanda and Caroline

Amanda and the girls

Sweet classmates - Caroline and Archer (6 months)

Two peas in a pod!

Godmother Caroline & Caroline

We love sweet Frances Grace (3 months)!

Mama and her precious girls

What a memorable day - my mother had a dear friend that used to say that wonderful days that you will remember always are "Red Letter Days" - this day was certainly one of those for our family. Thanks be to God!

I want to walk as a child of the light;
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world;
the star of my life is Jesus.

Refrain
In him there is no darkness at all;
the night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God:
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

I want to see the brightness of God;
I want to look at Jesus.
Clear Sun of righteousness, shine on my path,
and show me the way to the Father.

I’m looking for the coming of Christ;
I want to be with Jesus.
When we have run with patience the race,
we shall know the joy of Jesus.

8 months

2012-01-15T00:00:00.004-06:00

Happy 8 months Sweet C! You are a ton of fun these days - so interactive and about to be all over the place. You have brought such joy to this family!!

January 15, 2012 - 8 months old

Some things you're up to at 8 months:

you're flipping all over the place. You can roll from one end of the house to the other - and quick! You're pulling up on your knees, but no official crawl quite yet.
you're eating solids three times a day now and nursing 5-6 times - you love to eat - a little woman after your mama's heart!

you started the New Year off with a bang - sleeping 12 hours and have kept it up for the most part - you have your off nights just like we all do, but we are THRILLED to have the full night of sleep and you seem to like it too!
you bob your head up and down and it looks like you're either dancing or saying yes - it's pretty cute!

you LOVE your sister - she is constant entertainment for you.
your favorite toy right now is the jumper - you jump and jump and jump and it is delightful to watch how delighted you are about it.
you are showing Daddy more love these days - still very partial to Mommy though (which is just fine!)

you love to go on walks and get outside - we're so happy that you do - the spring will be so much fun!
you are still pretty laid back - there is not much that ruffles your feathers (as long as Mommy is around).

flexible also describes you well - throughout our traveling holidays you were easy peasy - slept well in different places, napped well and ate well. You like to be on the go.

Sweet child you are loved - thank you for bringing even more joy than we thought possible to our little family. A blessing indeed.

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

33 Months

2012-01-09T00:00:00.006-06:00

We are closing in on 3 years old...and too fast! Catherine Ellis is 33 months old today - and a HOT mess! She is so much fun! We've certainly got our hands full with this child, but we wouldn't have it any other way! She is absorbing and learning so much - she constantly amazes us with the pure love and compassion she shows to her little sister daily and the spark she brings to our family. There is truly never a dull moment with Catherine Ellis!

January 9, 2012 - 33 months

Here are some of the great things you're up to at 33 months:

you're a drama queen - in many good ways! You love to dance, charm, socialize - all the good things that come with being a little dramatic. And then there is the flip side - your emotions sometimes get the best of your little self. All this to say, there is never a dull moment with you precious child!
you count with ease to 15
know your ABC's - the only part that you get a tad bit confused on is the ending - you will say QRS - QRS and forget TUV.
you sleep well - bedtime is 8:00 p.m. and you are typically up between 7:00-7:30 a.m.
you are a creature of habit and you don't like straying from what you know.
you LOVE your sister - we're SO proud of how you've embraced her. What an ally she has in you big girl!
you like to color, write, draw - anything artsy and crafty. You have your fabulous teachers to thank for this.
your napping at school the past month has been hit or miss. At home you will still average about 2 hours - some days we are lucky to get an hour though. We sure are going to miss nap time in a few years!
you like to eat most foods - not too picky. Typical foods that you like: avocado, cheese, carrots, pizza, salad, corn, chicken nuggets, french fries, pancakes, Cheerios, fruit, mashed potatoes.
you really dislike time out - but it seems to be effective for discipline for now.
you LOVE LOVE LOVE to play with the iPad or iPhone - it's scary how well you know how to work them.
you sing every day - you love to sing and often if you're up before your sister you'll run in and sing Rise and Shine and Give God Your Glory Glory to her - she thinks this is funny.
you say your prayers at night before bed - you're still saying the blessing "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food", but hey, you've got to start somewhere.
you are polite - we're still working on when to say ma'am and sir, but you're getting there.
you are a sponge, it only takes once for you to hear or see something and you've committed it to memory.
you love most everyone - you hug every classmate every morning and afternoon before you leave, your teachers, Mommy's co-workers - what a sweet, sweet child.
your love of books still exists - we hope it always does!
you like to cook and help Mommy in the kitchen. Over the holidays you made homemade mac and cheese with Aunt B and it was yummy!
you do not like Santa and as far as you're concerned you don't ever want him to come to your house - you say the reason you don't like him is 'his long white beard'.
you're memorized the praise CD Coco made us - all 18 songs. We listen to it every time we get in the car. Daddy says we praise him out of the car:)

ROOOOLLLL TIDE!
(the National Championship Game was also the 9th -
just supporting Daddy's team!)

Sweet C was supportive too!

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God ...
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Bouncy Baby

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Caroline got a great gift from her Greats - pun intended! It's her favorite these days - take a look (Cain even got in on the fun!):

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Christmas with Meme

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve afternoon we hit the road again to head south to Alex City to surprise Meme! She knew we were coming Christmas Day, but had no idea we'd join her Christmas Eve night at church ... she even signed up to keep the nursery because she didn't think we'd be there! Wish I had a picture of CE running in and Meme speechless! We had a great time with Meme - long overdue! We'd not been to visit her since May!

Santa found the girls - even at Meme's and a grand time was had by all!

Slowly waking up and realizing someone left some big presents!

Awake and ready to rip open presents!

Sweet C waking up happy!

Sweet C excited about her new stroller toy

Catherine Ellis and her new easel

Huh, Santa who?

Just a little chewing on my new toy

Big sister showing little sister how to work her new toys

Who me?

Using the new iPhone holder from Fisher Price - LOVE!

Playing with their blocks .... learning how to share :)

Chewing again ... there wasn't much that didn't go into this cute little mouth

Favorite gift from Meme - pappies!

LOVE C's "throw back my head" laugh and smile!

Awe shucks, y'all!

Silly sisters

Laughing at Daddy

Joy to the World indeed! What a wonderful Christmas we had - 2011 was a great year for our little family. We can't wait to see what the good Lord has in store for 2012!

Christmas Eve - Christmas with the Grands

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

We headed to Jasper for Christmas Eve lunch with Pop, Gran, Aunt Stacey, and sweet baby cousin Carrigon. It was a short but fun trip. The food was yummy and the company was wonderful - not to mention there was a plethora of presents for the girls. Here are some favorites from that day:

Unwrapping the first gift!

Getting excited .... must be a baby doll in there!

Sweet sister decided to join in on the fun ...

Sister ripping into one - she was ready to eat that paper y'all!

Sweet babies!

Excited about her ball ...

Chewing on sister's doll ....

Let the snatching begin - sure there are many
more of these actions and faces ahead for us!

Books just her size ...

Her favorites, boxes and wrapping paper!

The lovely "mom quit taking my picture" smile

Pop wanted a picture with all his grand girls - it's so hard to get them all looking at the camera at once, but we came close!

And last but not least, all the kiddos with their kiddos - Caroline can't wait for Carrigon to be old enough for her to play with!

The kids with their kids

Well hello there Carrigon!

Christmas with the Greats!

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

The first day the girls were out of school we packed up and headed to North Alabama to see my Dad and Aunt B & Uncle C - it was a great trip and good times with my Dad's side of the family. As most of you know, Aunt B & Uncle C are like a third set of grandparents to the girls - we always have so much fun with them and they love the girls like they were their own. It was a yucky weather day, but it didn't dampen our spirits .... we headed to Dad's farm for the first part of the day and then to Huntsville for the rest of the evening.

The girls got the first taste of Christmas and opening presents and I must say it was a HUGE hit! They loved every gift they got - thank you so much Aunt B and Uncle C!

Beginning the festivities ....

This is a big one Mommy

Lots of concentration ....

Granddaddy & Caroline

Uncle C & Catherine Ellis working on unwrapping ....

Travel blanket & pillow

Monogrammed with "Cat Cat" - precious!

Caroline opening her first gift with a bit of assistance from Granddaddy

A picnic basket with blocks and music

Trying to figure out how to get it out of the package

Chilling with her new rubber ducky

Big stepping in to assist Little with her unwrapping

Where's Caroline? She spent most of the night mesmerized with the paper, of course!

Princess Catherine Ellis with her sister's picnic basket

After a great evening of presents, yummy food and family time I wanted to get a picture of the greats and the girls before we left the next day. What began as a couple of pictures turned into Marathon Photoshoot 2011 .... UGH. Catherine Ellis has gotten to where she makes the most ridiculous faces for photos and we can't get her to smile normally .... so here are just a few of the 100 photos that I took trying to get just ONE decent picture. Are we the only ones that deal with this?

Try one of out of 100

#10

#15

#30

Lost count and it goes down hill from here ...

Poor Caroline - Lady, why are we still taking pictures?

MAKE MOMMY STOP

One last attempt ...

Thank you Greats for a wonderful family gathering! We love y'all!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T20:25:00.006-06:00

Wow - what wonderful fun-filled past two weeks we've had since the last update! We've truly been enjoying the spirit of Christmas, the anticipation of Christ's birth and good times with dear family and friends. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as well!

I'm going to start with us kicking off our Christmas with our first trip to the Zoo for Zoolight Safari. David ended up working late so it was the girls and me along with Gran - we had a blast (but I will say it's mighty expensive for an hours worth of fun!) and enjoyed spending time among all the pretty lights and with Gran. Catherine Ellis loved it and Caroline had almost as much fun - I wore her in the Bjorn and she just kicked and clapped at all the fun and excitement swirling around her! Think we'll do this for years to come!

Not sure what to think about the snow!

Family pic in the snow - love Caroline's face here!

Catherine Ellis and Gran in the snow

Petting Zoo - Catherine Ellis was pretending to be a live animal - convincing?

Carousel ride - a favorite with both girls - we rode it 3 different times!

A quick pose in front of the AU tree -
there was an AL tree as well, but Mommy was taking the pictures:)

As you can tell we had a blast -thank you Gran for a wonderful treat to kick off our two week Christmas vacation! Next up Christmas with Aunt B & Uncle C!

7 months

2011-12-15T21:22:00.007-06:00

Happy 7 months sweet Caroline! What a fun time for you - you're learning new skills every day and you are certainly no longer a 'stay in one place' child. You're a wiggle worm and yearning to be on the move these days! You've been sick with the croup all week - you're still running a fever and not feeling well today, but smiling away! Your onesie says "best gift ever" - we all agree!

7 months - December 15, 2011

Here are some wonderful things you're up to at 7 months:

you have two teeth! They are your front bottom teeth and they are super cute!
your hair is growing, growing, growing and it's dark!
you are a rolling machine - you could roll all over the house if we'd let you.
you're super wonderful at tummy time - we think it will be no time before you're crawling. You've got a big sister to keep up with after all!
you can sit up well by yourself - we use the Boppy from time to time because you're still perfecting your balance, but you love to sit up.
you've graduated to the high chair - you LOVE it!
you're eating solids and have liked most everything you've tried: sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, apples, blueberries, apricots. You don't like peas or oatmeal so far, but we're working on it. You are eating three 4 oz jars a day.
you're sleeping better at night - you have been on a streak of sleeping from 7:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. for a few weeks now. And you've gone until 6:00 a.m. a couple of times.
you are still napping okay - not great, but enough. Most days a couple of 30-45 minute naps after awake time - especially at school. At home you will take longer naps of up to 2 or 2 1/2 hours.
you grab at everything you see - you especially like to grab hair or glasses.
you love the constant entertainment that your sister brings to your life.
you are jabbering big time - you can say dada, but don't know who you are referring to yet.
you are beefing up, finally. At our doctor visit this week you were up to 16 lbs 13 oz. Almost a pound in two weeks - you go girl!
you're wearing 6-12 month clothing.
you had your first round of steroids this month for the croup - you took them like a champ.
you've figured out all the toys on the excersaucer - you like to make the music play the most.
you nurse 5-6 times a day depending on your wake up time.

“You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

32 months

2011-12-08T21:34:00.008-06:00

Happy 32 months sweet Catherine Ellis! You are moving, shaking and changing the world around you - watch out world!! As you often tell Mommy and Daddy "you so proud of me!" - we are precious child, we are. The Advent season is all about the anticipation and joy of the arrival of baby Jesus .... it is with great anticipation and joy that we also awaited the arrival of our first-born three short years ago. We adore you - you bring so much laughter, joy and awe to this family - our world certainly is forever changed by you!

December 9, 2011 - 32 months

Here are some things you're up to:

you are almost completely out of pull-ups - you're dry 5 out of 7 nights and most every time you wake from a nap - we're ready to tell them goodbye and so are you!
you talk very well - you're super verbal and know TONS of words. You can now recall words after thinking for a few seconds and complete your sentences correctly without the assistance of an adult.
you're a GREAT big sister. Caroline adores you and gets quite the kick out of you. You're loving, kind and compassionate to her.
you're quite the artist - you bring home lots of fabulous art work every week from school.
you're hair is growing (Daddy is so proud of you!) - you're growing a good looking mullet in the back :)
you're wearing 2T clothing, but 3T fits you well
Christmas has a whole new meaning this year - you're starting to understand why we celebrate Christmas (thank you for the nativity set, Meme!), some of the fun traditions, a bit about Santa Claus (you still don't like him) and the joy of the season. However, you don't get the presents part - you're not sure about Santa bringing them and the notion of being good or bad.
you love your dance class at school and come home with moves and songs that you love to perform - Michael Jackson is a favorite these days. If I can catch this particular performance on camera it'll make my life.
you're a great helper to Mommy, Daddy and your teachers.
you're a good cook - you helped Mommy make pizza this week and it was super yummy.
you still LOVE to read.
Cain and Emma are your biggest fans and you love them dearly.
you are still sleeping well - 8:00 p.m.-7:30 a.m.
you love the blessings for meals - you learn them quickly and demand that we say the blessing before dinner without us reminding you.
you say your prayers every night with Daddy - you thank God for lots of wonderful things and ice cream (it's good stuff, y'all!).

Sweet girl - we love you to the moon and back! We're so proud of you; don't you ever forget it!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

It's the most wonderful time of the year ...

2011-12-08T00:00:00.003-06:00

Christmas is here and we're finally all decorated at the Cain house! It takes longer to decorate as the years go by, but with all the 'help' we had from Catherine Ellis it sure made things go more smoothly:) We got our tree on Saturday and started decorating on Sunday. The house was finally completely decorated by Tuesday night. Let the good times roll!

I can't believe she is big enough to hang ornaments!

Our tiniest elf!

She provided the joyful noise while we decorated!

Helping Daddy with the angel

Don't drop me Daddy!

And guess who arrived Friday?? Elvis the Elf! If you're not familiar with The Elf on the Shelf - take a look. Basically the elf arrives a few weeks before Christmas (and the children get to name the Elf - funny that Catherine Ellis picked Elvis, hysterical actually) and reports back to Santa each night about the behavior of the little ones he is watching over. The neat thing is that each night he travels back to the North Pole and when he arrives back at the house he lands in a different spot. The next morning the kiddos (Catherine Ellis at this point) have to search until they find him. He has some odd hiding places - this is where he was this morning:

Meet Elvis everybody!

And last but not least to get us in the full spirit of Christmas we went to the Mountain Brook Village Christmas Parade on Sunday. Wouldn't you know we missed the parade, but it didn't matter, we still got to play with our friends, see some cool firetrucks and most importantly talk to Santa - here's how well that went:

William and Catherine Ellis on the fire truck

Um, yeah. Santa did not go over at all for

Catherine Ellis and Caroline just isn't real sure what is going on here.

Three cutest kids you'll ever find under the tree!

Headline News

2011-12-06T21:14:00.004-06:00

If you all don't already know - we've got quite the celebrity living with us these days! Catherine Ellis was 'above the fold' in The Birmingham News last Monday, November 28th! What a neat surprise! We knew they were doing a photo shoot at the YWCA Child Development Center, but we had no way of knowing what photo would be selected and where it would be placed. We don't receive the newspaper anymore (I wonder where all my free time to leisurely read the paper has gone?), but my phone starting dinging and ringing first thing Monday morning letting me know that indeed a star had been born! So much fun!

Our 'live in' celebrity!

A close up of our hippie star
(she's telling them she's two, but it would be cool if it was a peace sign, right?)

Pailet Ann's Baptism

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving weekend got better as the days unfolded. We headed to Camp McDowell after our Thanksgiving feast 2011 at the Cains and settled in for the night. It's always great to be back "home" and peaceful to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. We awoke to a glorious morning and the day of Pailet Ann Liles's Holy Baptism.

Caroline and I headed 'up the hill' to Miller Commons to spend some time with the princess of the day and her family and friends. It was so wonderful to catch up and meet the extended families of my dear friend, Allison Sandlin Liles. What an honor to be asked to serve as Pailet's godmother. I'm looking forward to a lifetime of memories with her and watching her grow and love Christ as a member of the Christian community. We're so glad she's an official member now!

It was a beautiful service with a joyful baby - I'm not sure I've seen one more joyful at a baptism than sweet Pailet was! She let her godparents hold her, love her and bask in the joy and glory of her special day.

Allison, Pailet and proud Godmama Megann

The godparents, Allison and Pailet

Pailet's crew for Holy Baptism

"God of power and great glory, thank you for Pailet Ann. In so many ways, she is Your beloved child, in whom You are well pleased. Please bless Pailet Ann and me as we journey together in Your love. Amen."

Blessings abound ...

2011-11-27T20:21:00.011-06:00

Hope everyone had great family time with their families! We sure did! It was such a wonderful weekend - we got to meet Baby Carrigon - the girls cousin and our niece - for the first time and spend time with the rest of the Ellis and Cain families. It was a wonderful day filled with good food, good fun and good naps (Amen!!).

Here are some pictures from our fun in Jasper:

One of the imperfects that I love as much as the 'perfect' shot!
(Thanks Kitty!)

Bundled up wizardly baby

Y'all - her hair is starting to curl!!

No trip to Jtown is complete without fishing for Pop's minnow

Her two accomplices here are her cousins, Jackson and Jake

Laughing at Pop Pop

Mommy and her sweet C

A little cousin lovin'

No trip is complete without a bounce on the trampoline

Bouncing with Daddy

CE and her sidekick

Cain loves Jtown visits too

Bouncing high ....

And higher ....

Cutest little cousins ever!

A little toss "up there Daddy" - a glorious day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:09:00.009-06:00

November 24, 2011 - 31 months & 6 months

Happy Thanksgiving - what a wonderful day! We have so much to be thankful for, but most of all for our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We're especially thankful for our families, friends, loved ones and if you're reading this you're one of those folks! I often say it takes a village and we are SO thankful for our little village. May today be a day that you all celebrate the wonderful blessings in your lives with those you love. We certainly are counting our blessings today!

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Colossians 3:15

Rub a Dub Dub in the Tub

2011-11-23T00:00:00.006-06:00

Bath time has long been a favorite around our house and Caroline is quickly joining in on the fun these days! Soon we'll ditch the sling and she'll be sitting up all by her self like a big girl in the tub. Until then it's a family affair when we bathe her these days - big sister just can't live without making sure she helps 'wash' Caroline. And little sister seems not to mind big sister's supervising and assistance. Here are some pics from bath time a few nights ago:

Talking over our routine with my resident bathing assistant

Just hanging out with Mom and Big Sis - enjoying the suds

What's going on here lady? I wish I knew what was
going through her mind sometimes!

All hands on deck and what a good sport!

Save me Daddy!

Pan Can Fun Run

2011-11-21T21:30:00.000-06:00

Two Saturday's ago we got up and rolling bright and early for one of our best friends Holly and her sweet family. Holly, David and I go way back - she was a CIT at Camp McDowell the year I was Head Counselor in 2001 and then she met David and they got to be great buds while attending the University of Alabama. She is Catherine Ellis's godmother and now my co-worker! So, needless to say Holly and her family are important to the Cains.

We signed up for the Family Fun Run at Homewood Park for Pancreatic Cancer. Holly's father, Mike, has Pancreatic Cancer and has been successfully fighting it for over 2 years now. We are so proud of his strength and positive attitude and of Holly and her family for weathering such a difficult time and finding the positive in all of this. So, a family fun run was the least we could do to support Holly and her father.

And fun it was! We got there a little early and played with several friends at the park - had a blast and then walked/ran the Family Fun Run! The girls had a blast, the weather was glorious, we got to see lots of old friends and raise some money for pancreatic cancer research. Catherine Ellis even got so excited about the run that she got out of the stroller after the first 1/2 mile and ran the last 1/2 mile with her Mommy! I think we have a future runner y'all!

William and Catherine Ellis starting the day off with a swing

"Way up there Daddy, way up there!"

Sweet C taking her morning snooze

Higher and Higher

All decked out in our purple

William and Stefie

Up she goes ...

Down she comes ...

Riding the purple dino with William

The Cains at the finish line

Ce, Stefie, William, Caroline and me

Emily and Caroline (she's taking it all in ...)

My little runner, eating her snack after her first 1/2 mile!

Catherine Ellis and Stefie

My girl wore her purple too! She was the hit
of the event with her flower hat!

Caraway's Crew 2011

6 months

2011-11-15T00:00:00.007-06:00

6 months, one half of an entire year - WOW! If you had told me in May that 6 months would have flown by this quickly, I would have told you I'd fly off my roof before believing it! The first three months didn't fly by, but the next 3 sure did!

Happy, happy 6 months to our sweet Caroline! What a blessing and joy you have been to us (even those first three months!) and what a delight it is to watch you grow up before our very eyes. God has blessed our family richly!

November 15, 2011 - 6 months old

Here are some divine things you're up to 6 months:

you have rolled over from your back to your tummy!! And we are so proud! You've been close for several weeks, but finally did it all by your self on Saturday!
you're teething big time - you're the resident drool monster in our house these days - still no signs of a tooth popping up, but we expect it any day now!
you can sit up well - you still need the Boppy for support, but in a few more weeks you'll be able to sit without your pillow - you really like sitting up - much easier to see the world sitting than lying.
you're starting solids this month - finally! You've shown us you're ready and Mommy is going to make some of your first foods this coming weekend - get ready!
you are a smiley little girl - and squealing is a favorite sound of yours!
you can scoot with the best of them - we'll find you off your play mat and almost off the rug in the mornings if we leave you for longer than 3-4 minutes - you're a fast rug rat!
you think your sister is funny - you especially like to pull her hair when she gets close to you - which is probably too close and why you pull her hair:)
you've mastered putting your feet in your mouth and sucking on them - you like doing this anytime you're on the changing table.
you had your first bout of sickness this past month and came down with an ear infection - we hope it's your first and last one.
you are pretty laid back and roll well with our schedules most days - we are mighty thankful for this.
you can grab objects that you want within reach and switch them from hand to hand easily.
you're starting to get really interested in your books and story time with your sister - this delights her more than you!
Eating 6 times a day, still every 3 hours or so - we're sure this will change as we work solids in.
you're sleeping pattern has been a bit out of whack the past few weeks - we're going to blame it on your ear infection and 6 month growth spurt. You can go as long as 10 hours between feedings, but some nights you decide you only want to go 6 - so we're working on those!
you're still sleeping swaddled - but now that we're getting this rolling over mastered, you can sleep on your tummy soon!
you recognize your name with it's called - and on many levels we're excited about this, especially since your hearing screening as a newborn was a big fail and then you passed and we have your 6 month followup in a few weeks - we're pretty sure you're going to pass with flying colors, but it still makes the fact that you can hear something to be mighty grateful for.

A little sister love ....

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Rooollllinnngggg

2011-11-13T21:06:00.004-06:00

That's right ... our adorable almost 6 month old rolled over to her tummy for the first time, unassisted, this weekend - we just happened to have the video camera ready - and please excuse this shameless, cheer leading Mama - I was SO very proud! Enjoy!

31 months

2011-11-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

Happy 31 months Catherine Ellis - in just a few months you will be 3!! How is that possible - seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. Y'all look how big my little girl looks!!!

November 9, 2011 - 31 months

Last month we celebrated being potty trained and big girl panties - WOO HOO!! You are continuing to do really well with potty training and we don't miss the diapers/pull-ups at ALL! Here are a few wonderful things you are up to these days:

Your vocabulary continues to grow - as well as your comprehension - you can state now how you are feeling, what you think someone else is feeling, understand directions well (even if you choose not to follow them!), you also direct people well ( imagine that!) and can communicate most every thing you need to!
You are still pretty clumsy - you broke your collarbone this past month and at the ripe age of 2.5 years you've had your first broken bone, we hope it's your last. Your clumsiness is more your lack of attention to where you are headed or interest in things other than walking - like waving to people as you go to and from school.
You love the iPhone and iPad - you can work both of them without direction and get to your books, videos, etc. without assistance (we're not sure if this is a good thing or not yet!)
You can put your sweater/jacket on and off by yourself
You can blow your nose - THANK YOU LORD! I thought this day would never come and it's SO much easier than making you mad as a hornet by suctioning your nose.
You have discovered how to get out of your big girl bed - we knew this day would come, but after a few 'big girl' talks with Mommy and Daddy, you now know that you must stay in your bed until one of us comes in to get you (we'll see how long this lasts!).
You brush your teeth well; and like to brush them!
Your love of books is still enormous - books make you so happy!
You take great care of your baby dolls - feed them, change them, wrap them in blankets, stroll them in their stroller - what a good little Mommy you are.
You continue to love the outdoors -your sandbox is so much fun and now the fire pit interests you - it seems like so much fun to play in.
You say the blessing before dinner at night -your favorite right now is Johnny Appleseed.
You say your prayers every night after story time and before turning out the light - it's so sweet to hear you thanking God for your family, baby sister, friends at school, teachers, etc.

" ... my cup runneth over ..." Psalm 23:5

Halloween Cain Style

2011-11-08T21:43:00.008-06:00

The Cains love a party - so naturally we tried to attend as many parties as we could to celebrate one of David's favorite holidays - Halloween! Catherine Ellis was finally old enough this year to sort of grasp the concept - she knew she got candy and that if she went from house to house to house she'd get A LOT of candy and all different kinds. More on that later! We kicked Halloween week off with the All Saints Part at St. Marys - we had dinner, a costume party and then Daddies carved pumpkins while kiddos played - Catherine Ellis LOVED it.

Daddy, what's that? Not so sure about the pumpkin 'guts'

First reach of the season - with Daddy close by

Pulling out seeds all by herself

Sweet C chillin' while Daddy and Catherine Ellis are hard at work ...

Master pumpkin carver and his handy assistant

After the allure of pumpkin carving wore off (and it didn't take long) Catherine Ellis was ready to dive into the other fun activities for all the little kiddos - she loved the apple bob, but didn't quite understand what bobbing was and opted instead to organize the apples - little girl after her mothers own heart! Then she went digging for Halloween worms - she thought that was the neatest thing - maybe because it involves getting filthy?

Organizing the apple bobbing station

Proud apple organizer extraordinaire!

Caroline's first pumpkin ... she was super excited about it, can't you tell?

After digging for worms ...

The Sunday before Halloween we had two special visitors, Aunt B and Uncle C - what a treat! Caroline hung out with Uncle C for a while and they just chilled - so cute! Aunt B and Catherine Ellis had a little hair trimming session and played the afternoon away. Both girls were so excited to see their Greats! Thanks for stopping by and loving on us!

Guess whose belly I'm perched on?

My cool and calm Uncle C's belly .... it's a great place to hang out, I tell ya!

Catherine Ellis got her bangs trimmed - much needed! Thank you Aunt B!

Halloween night we were invited to experience Halloween in Crestline Park and man is it a good time. It's like Mardi Gras for children - there are parties everywhere, TONS of children, golf carts with trailers of children, candy for miles and wouldn't you know it a cozy coup. Catherine Ellis loved the party and seeing all the kids dressed up, she kept saying "Mommy what party we going to else?" - meaning where else are we headed? Here are a few pics of her trick-or-treating on Halloween:

It took Captain America's daughter less than 2 seconds
to find the nearest Cozy Coup

Trick-or-treating with Daddy

Last party stop before calling it a night - Baby Archer's house

Baby Archer (belonging to Miss Amanda, one of Mommy's dear friends!) also had a busy Halloween weekend and was baptized the Sunday before Halloween - unfortunately I have no pictures, but he was gorgeous and we Cains were thrilled to be a party of his special day! Caroline and Mr. Archer are 5 weeks apart and in the same class, so Catherine Ellis pretends like he's the little brother she never had:) All in all a very fun and eventful Halloween! We are already looking forward to next year when we'll have two walking, talking trick-or-treaters - SO FUN!

Flashback Friday

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's so much fun and AMAZING to see how quickly Catherine Ellis has grown up before our very eyes!! Here are some pictures of her through the fall and Halloween in 2009, 2010 and 2011! Fun times ....

Fall 2009 - Pumpkin Patch

Halloween 2009

Fall 2010

Halloween 2010

Pumpkin Carving with the whole family 2011

And sweet Caroline - she'll have a ton of pictures for Flashback Fridays this time next year, but until then I'll leave you with a few of my favorites of her the past week or so - precious, sweet girl!

Getting ready to trick-or-treat on the admin floor at school!

Sweet girl so excited about sitting up!

Sweetest smile ever

We're still here ....

2011-11-03T09:13:00.007-05:00

A sneak peek of the girls Halloween costumes - more to come - just need to find the time! As you'll see below Catherine Ellis had an accident (cracked collarbone) that along with everyone in the house having rotton colds has slowed the Cains down significantly (really just this Mama, meaning at night she crashes instead of working hours on the blog!). But, we're here and we're all kicking! You won't waste a prayer on us - and I'll be back soon with updates from all the fun at Halloween! Until then ...

Captain America's Daughter aka Wonder Women to Catherine Ellis

Precious Caroline in her Boo outfit - much better than a dreadful costume

Catherine Ellis with her new fashion accessory - you see it's not slowed her down a bit, just her parents

Just the beginning ...

2011-10-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

We are just beginning some new things with sweet Caroline - she has decided since Catherine Ellis graduated to big girl panties last week that she needed to graduate to a few milestones herself!

They are:

Rice Cereal - that's right, we tried our first bowl with a bit of breast milk on Sunday - I think she liked it - what do you think?

Anticipating the first yummy bite!

First bite goes in ....

What was THAT???

I might like it ...

Coming out of my bumbo for some more!

Want some Daddy?!?

I got this lady!

The beloved exersaucer - David, Catherine Ellis and I all loved this thing when Catherine Ellis was Caroline's age - it keeps a baby busy for a long time and for the most part content! Caroline tried it out Sunday as well and was in it for almost an hour!

A bit bewildered by all there is to play with ....

Big showing Little the ropes ....

Hum, that book looks interesting ...

A little reading at 5 months, ha!

Big Sister trying to steal the limelight by showing
her big girl panties (never a dull moment here!)

5 Months - So Close

2011-10-15T16:01:00.009-05:00

Sweet Caroline is 5 months today! She is learning and doing so much these days that it's hard to keep up! I think David and I would both say that as each month passes we get a wee bit more excited about how much fun the girls are going to have together in a few short months when Caroline starts crawling/walking!

October 15, 2011 - 5 months

Here are some of the wonderful things sweet Caroline is up to these days:

she's still eating every 3 to 3 1/2 hours during the day! We are all food lovers in this house so she gets it honest.
we've not started rice cereal, but I plan to this weekend - will keep you all posted on how this goes.
she's smiling, talking and squealing a lot - it's quite entertaining!
she is SO close to rolling completely over - SO close that I have a video for you below - it's worth the watch and listening to my cheer leading - promise!
she is SO close to sitting up by herself, I think by next month she'll have it.
she is sleeping from 7:00 p.m. - 4:00-6:00 a.m. - pretty good - at least 9 hours most every night. We will continue to work on a consistent wake up time of 6 or 7, that will just take time.
she's still swaddled and on her back for night time sleeping; day sleeping she's on her tummy.
she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth - tries to eat whomever is holding her and loves her hands and feet.
still napping well - cat naps 2-3 times a day for 30-45 minutes and usually one long nap for about 2 hours or more during the middle of the day.
tummy time - she still does really well with this - much better than big sister did:)
you are a little girl - you're still wearing 3 month clothes and they are a bit roomy still - that's okay - dainty is just what little girls should be!
you've had your first cold this month, but it's not been bad at all - you're congested, but you've weathered it well and haven't lost any sleep over it (and neither have we!).

Happy baby ...

We love to try scoot out of the sitting position these days ....

What you lookin' at??

A little gymnastics .... (don't worry, it's not what it appears)

All smiles...

Silly girl ...

What a little beauty

My sweet, precious, little girl - we love you so much! God has truly blessed us with the gift of you - we can't wait to see what the rest of the journey holds!

Ladies and gentleman - our SO CLOSE 5 month old just this morning:

Aunt Wren

2011-10-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

We had a delightful visit from Aunt Wren this past weekend - what a treat! Catherine Ellis always has such a good time with Wren - Wren is so good at playing make believe - just wait till you see where they went grocery shopping on Saturday (ingenious!). It was a gorgeous day that we spent almost all of outside playing in the sunshine and breeze!

Grocery shopping at our form of Publix in our backyard

Learning about wild mushrooms -
thank goodness Wren is an environmental educator!

Surveying her grocery bag ... rocks, leaves,
flowers, weeds and mushrooms

Almost too busy to stop for a quick pic ...

Nothing like a little cheek love ...

Sweet Caroline was happy to see Aunt Wren too - heck we were just all thrilled that Wren was seeing her happy!! The last time Wren was here (when Caroline was 11 weeks) we were still in the troughs of c-o-l-i-c and our home wasn't necessarily a happy home when Caroline was awake. Bless her little heart! But that's all over and she was her little delightful self on Saturday and a treat for us all!

Wren and sweet Caroline

Like stars that shine in the heavens,

A godmother’s endless love,

Lights the way for her godchild,

As the lord gives a nod from above.

She was chosen because of her goodness,

And too, for her gentle side.

But also because her godchild,

Could view her with love and pride.

For she is a perfect example

Of all that a person should be,

A kind and a caring guardian

Standing by for eternity!

Our Village

2011-10-12T00:00:00.002-05:00

It takes a village to raise a child! So true! If I've said one time I've said it one hundred times! We are SO fortunate to have families and friends that support us, love us and care deeply about us - not only David and me, but our girls as well. I have never understood more than I do now that it truly takes a village and our village ROCKS!

Here are some folks that love us that we've had the good fortune of spending some time with over the past few weeks - and believe me this doesn't even begin to document all the fabulous people we get to spend time with that I don't have the camera in hand to take a shot:

Sweet Aunt Stephie - oh does Catherine Ellis love her!

Jackson and William (Aunt Stephie and her twin sister Adrian's boys)

Stephie and Catherine Ellis riding the see saw

Aunt B and CE - these two have the best time together!

Aunt B and sweet Caroline

Uncle C and Catherine Ellis - notice the stylin' shades Uncle C
picked out for his girl!

Catherine Ellis, Archer 11 weeks and Caroline -
sweet play date with one of my besties little man

Uncle Double listening to Catherine Ellis read

Uncle Double meeting sweet Caroline for the first time

Uncle Double and his biggest fans

Meme reading to her girls

Aunt Stella & Caroline

Stephie & Caroline

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14

30 months

2011-10-10T20:49:00.009-05:00

There is only one thing I want to highlight about Catherine Ellis as she turned 30 months on Sunday - see if you notice the difference:

Before ...

After ...

That's right - our big girl is wearing big girl panties! And YES, this is worthy of shouting to the rooftops - our girl is almost completely potty trained!! Today was her first full day at school with her panties and she was dry all day!! We are SO proud!

We are still wearing pull-ups for nighttime and nap time - although most every nap she wakes up dry - those times are just harder to stay dry and if I don't have to change sheets two or three times a day it truly makes me a better Mommy, ha!

So, next time you see our girl - ask her what her big news is!! She will gladly tell you (who are we kidding, she'll gladly show you too!) all about her big girl panties! What a milestone - we'll keep you posted as we knock this transition out!

Flashback Friday

2011-10-06T20:59:00.004-05:00

Catherine Ellis - October 2009
(6 months)

Catherine Ellis chilling in the tub - October 2009

Catherine Ellis - October 2010
(18 months)

Catherine Ellis showing off some of her new skills in the fall of 2009:

My sweet god daughter ....

2011-09-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's official - I'm a godmother! To one of the most precious little girls besides my own, Pailet Liles! What an honor and a job that I take very seriously....I have fabulous godmothers who are still involved in my life and have witnessed many of my big life moments with me. I plan to be very involved in Pailet's life ... not only praying for her daily, but being there, watching her grow and love life.

Pailet and GMama Megann

Pailet, her fabulous mama and one of my dearest friends, and her big brother came to visit us on Sunday - what a treat!! It had been several weeks since I'd seen Pailet and boy has she grown. This child is such a snuggle bunny and scrumptious -every inch I tell you!

Catherine Ellis and Hill had THE best time playing together at Davenports Sunday night - our usual spot. Allison was a trooper and played single Mom for a couple of hours while Eric was at home working away and bravely brought both kiddos to dinner and we all survived. As I always say - it takes a village! And we're sure glad the Liles are a part of ours. Love you Liles family!

They were bouncing up and down all over the booth ... fun times for sure!

How cute are they??!!??

DIVAS in training ...

2011-09-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

You think I'm kidding .... check out our head Diva in Training ....

Conducting business via her Mommy's phone .....

and shoes ....

And look at her little mini me .... baby sister is following in big's footsteps with a great sense of style ....

That's all - just had to share how precious they are .... and don't worry - I am fully aware that in a not so distant future, I'll be paying for my raisin' as my Mama likes to remind me! Until then, I'm all about embracing their inner divas... it's a precious stage at this age (probably not in 10 more years, just sayin').

No shoot is complete without a picture of both models .....
I'll let you guess who LOVES the camera...

Wow - nice shoes sis .... can I borrow those when I grow up?

The end of an era ....

2011-09-25T20:17:00.007-05:00

Well guess who visited our house on Friday? The Pappie Fairy .... a very impromptu visit ... we'd been talking about it for several days with Catherine Ellis, but had not planned for her to come so quickly. I admit, I jumped the gun. We got home early Friday and in my mind I had planned to go for a walk, etc. The weather was amazing, but I had to feed Caroline first. Catherine Ellis is rather impatient when it comes to feeding times for her baby sister, so she immediately started whining, ran to her room and started looking for her pappies. Usually they sit on the nightstand, but Friday they were in a dresser drawer and she knew immediately that if they were not on the nightstand, they were in her dresser. She furiously started pulling the drawer and crying "I want my pappies, I want my pappies."

The night table with no pappies .... oh dear!

I couldn't take it anymore ... 30 months and not one night without a pappie. It was time. "Oh my goodness Catherine Ellis! The fairy must have come while you were at school!" She immediately starting crying and saying over and over ..."they not come and take my pappies".....she did this for about 45 minutes and it was over. She asked two more times at bath time and bed time for her pappies and was simply reminded the fairies came and they were gone. She slept all night Friday night, Saturday afternoon took a 3 hour nap, slept all night again Saturday night and another 2 hour nap this afternoon. AMAZING!!!!

Why was I so hesitant to get rid of them? Fear, I tell you. Straight.up.fear. I should have known she would blaze through this transition just like she's blazed through all the others, never looking back. This I know for sure .... we are incredibly lucky/blessed. I know it could have been so much worse and I'm thanking God for a child that rolls with the punches of growing up - may every transition be this smooth.

So look at our big girl now -she's not missing her pappies at all - can't you tell by that big grin on her face?

Look Mommy, no pappies in my hands, on my bed, under the covers ....

So excited that we've weathered another transition smoothly -
believe me we are ALL this joyful!

Catherine Ellis Cain - Pappie Free as of 9/23/2011

And of course, as always, I'm still the one hanging on ... scared to move forward and leave behind another reminder that my precious first born is growing up. I know I'll blink my eyes and she'll be 16 one day ... until then I plan to keep living the present - there really is no better gift. And just in case I'm missing her pappie days and need a reminder of my sweet girl's baby days .... have no fear ... mama knows where the fairy stashed them.

Flashback Friday II

2011-09-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and time to flashback! The highlight of the week this week was Caroline's 4 month check-up. She's doing well and hitting all of her developmental skills right on target - we're so proud:) She's doing so much better since the C-word is gone and it gets more fun every day watching her little personality come to life! Here are her stats from her 4 month check-up:

13.3 lbs (that's 2 lbs gained since our 2 month visit)

24 inches long (that's an inch and a half longer than she was at her 2 month visit)

And her head is still above average - big ole round Cain head, ha!

She was a trooper with her shots this time and did well that night, but the next day was pretty fussy, bless her heart. She got 4 shots and one oral for a total of 5 - that's a lot of medicine for a tiny little baby, but she weathered it well.

For our flashback Friday I thought it might be fun to compare pictures of Caroline and Catherine Ellis at the same age doing the same things - enjoy!

Catherine Ellis bye bye buggy - 5 months

Caroline bye bye buggy - 4 months

Catherine Ellis Bumbo seat - 4 months

Caroline Bumbo seat - 4 months

Catherine Ellis grabbing her feet - 4 months

Caroline grabbing her feet - 4 months

Catherine Ellis smiling in outfit - 4 months (it's on backwards)

Caroline smiling in same outfit (it's on correctly this time!) - 4 months

Flashback Friday

2011-09-16T00:00:00.004-05:00

I have several friends that do Flashback Fridays on their blogs and it's so much fun to see how much our children have grown in a short time. As I was looking through pictures to post for the flashback I was overcome with joy at how much our lives have changed in the past 2 1/2 years. Bittersweet indeed because parenting it THE hardest thing I've ever done, but hands down THE most rewarding. And when you see how much they grow and change and start to become independent little souls it makes the work worthwhile. Enjoy our first Flashback Friday!

Catherine Ellis - September 2009

Catherine Ellis - September 2010

Catherine Ellis - September 2011

Catherine Ellis and Josie - July/August 2009

Catherine Ellis and Josie - August/September 2011

Caroline - May 2011

Caroline - September 2011

4 months

2011-09-15T00:00:00.005-05:00

Sweet Caroline is 4 months old today! She is growing and changing so quickly - it's hard to keep up! Every day she's learning a new trick and showing it off .... so much fun to watch her as she grows into a little person!

September 15, 2011 - 4 months
Almost caught her smile; there is a hint of it left!

So here is what my sweet girl is up to at 4 months (17 weeks):

the awful C-O-L-I-C (I can't bring myself to say the word!) is gone! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

she is smiling up a storm! We LOVE it - so wonderful to see her happy!

she is talking - lots of cooing, ohhing and ahhing

she can hold an object and fling it around like crazy a few times.

she can grab her precious little feet and is trying to get them to her mouth.

she is starting to put anything she can in her mouth - hands, arms, blanket, stuffed animal, etc.

she can raspberry with the best of them - so fun to watch her get a kick out of making that noise!

she can roll from her stomach to her back with ease.

she can almost roll from her back to her stomach - she is so close - just needs a little help rolling over her arm to get to her stomach.

she's beginning the teething process - drooling everywhere and constantly has her hands in her mouth - I'm going to guess we'll see some bottom teeth pop out in about 2 more months.

she is doing so well at school - loves her teacher Miss Sabrena (who was also Catherine Ellis's 1 year old teacher)! We are SO blessed that they love each other:)

she is napping well - usually a mid-morning and mid-afternoon nap anywhere from 45 minutes - 2 hours. She naps after every awake time except her last one - but those are all short cat naps.

she is sleeping well at night with the exception of the last two weeks. After Labor Day weekend she decided to start waking in the middle of the night again, so we've been doing that for about a week (16 week growth spurt), but the past few days have been better and she's getting back to her normal sleeping patter of 7-9 hours at night (at least we hope she is!).

she is in size 1 diapers, but we're about to graduate to 2's soon.

she loves to be carried facing out so she can see the world. And really likes for her Daddy to carry her around - guess the view is better from higher up!

she likes the sling - reminds her of her home just a few short months ago and will sleep when I wear her.

she's eating 6-7 times a day, still every 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Curious sweet girl

Sister love - leaning on big sister!

"Children are a blessing from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward."

Psalms 127:3

29 Months

2011-09-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

Catherine Ellis turned 29 months on September 9th - craziness! She's 2 1/2 and a few weeks .... wow. I simply can't believe in a few months she'll be 3 ....3??!!!??? Time flies when you're having fun and she is a BLAST. Every day with this sweet child is a day we say we won't forget - the things she says, the things she does and the laughter that she brings to our family is worth all the meltdowns that accompany the best parts of her!

September 9, 2011 - 29 Months

I can no longer list an accomplishment for every month - plus you'd get bored - so I'm going to hit the highlights.

Some of the great and wonderful things Catherine Ellis is up to:

She just began the new school year in her new classroom. She is now a Hungry Caterpillar - in the Twos classroom. This is the beginning of the third week and she seems to have transitioned well.

She must do EVERYTHING by herself - a common phrase at our house these days "noooooo, I gone do it myself"

She is completely potty trained at school and super close to being at home. She is dry 5 out 6 times and often is dry through the night - what a big girl. Her next step is big girl panties - such a big girl!

Her love of books continues to grow - she's quite the reader and Caroline is her captive audience.

She has a memory like you can't believe - we pass by the pool and she knows we swim there, she knows friends at school and their parents - she knows all their names and the cars they drive - unreal.

She is a social butterfly - if there is a party - the girl is there. And if there is not a party - it is a party as soon as she arrives.

She's not napping well at school, but still naps well at home on the weekends. She averages 2 hours and often 3 hours in the late afternoon.

She's eating well - seems to like most foods and will try most things - does not like tomatoes, but loves all fruits, meats, cheeses, and carbs.

Her bedtime is between 7:30-8:00 p.m.. We usually have to wake her during the school week around 7:15 a.m. and on the weekends girlfriend typically sleeps until 8:30-9:00 a.m. She wears herself out and anyone else around her:)

She still has a pappie. UGH. We do talk a lot about the pappie fairy coming to visit - but a part of her Daddy and me don't care that she sleeps with one if it helps her sleep - can I get an Amen??

She LOVES her baby dolls - all 20 of them, she runs a doll care out of our house.

She is super helpful (when she wants to be) with Caroline and still ADORES her baby sister. It is the sweetest thing on earth to watch their bond already at such young ages.

Counts to 12 easily. Knows her ABC's. Knows her colors.

I could go on and on .... she is a ball of energy, sassy, feisty, compassionate, funny and so loving. God has blessed us incredibly with this little girl. We can't wait to see what the next 29 days, weeks, months and years bring .... an unspeakable joy indeed.

"May Your unfailing love rest upon them even as they put their hope in You."
Psalm 33:22

New Tricks

2011-09-12T20:44:00.008-05:00

We're still here .... just running the race! Here are some fun new tricks the girls have learned over the past couple of weeks.

As most know, Catherine Ellis LOVES books and loves to read. Her newest trick is reading books to anyone that will listen - mostly Caroline because she can't talk back yet - but she's working on trying to! Of course both girls are camera shy and will not perform as soon as I pull out the camera, but this gives you an idea of how dramatically Catherine Ellis performs her reading skills:

Sweet Caroline has a new sound - raspberries! The girl can raspberry with the best of them - so much fun to watch her get such a kick out of making noise and drooling all over the place. She will even take a break from eating to raspberry. We're pretty sure our sweet girl is starting the teething process. Ugh. I remember Catherine Ellis starting at 15 weeks and it's a long ride. Seems like every week they are getting new teeth in. I think it'll be a while before any pop through her gums, but you can tell her gums are itching because she constantly has her hands in her mouth or she's rasp berrying up a storm! Enjoy:

Oh the wonderful things she can do ....

2011-08-30T21:27:00.008-05:00

She can sit up - with the assistance of the bumbo!

She can kick the elephant - wonder whose team she'll be pulling for this fall? :)

She can hold those sweet little hands together ....

And put them in her little mouth ....

Watch her crazy Mama hang over her play mat

Grab Mr. Parrot

And hold on for a while ... notice arm by left ear -
that's a favorite resting position for her

Suck that pappie for a few seconds ....

But only for a few seconds ... you see it ......

Now you don't - she can pull it out all by herself ...

She can lift herself up on her tummy - yay for tummy time!

And be in awe of herself and her mad tummy skills ...

She can go from content to mad in .002 seconds ....

Stand up on those cute little legs ....

And appease big sister .... a huge feat in and of itself :)

But most fun of all - the sweet little girl can talk - just take a listen:

Madeline turns 4

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

One of my great friends sweet daughter, Madeline, turned 4 a couple of weekends ago - and what a party she had! The theme was pirates and princesses - what fun! Madeline always has the best birthday parties and this year was no different! We gathered at the new Vestavia Hills Library (so nice!!) and started the party off with a magic show - a real hit with everyone and then ended with yummy cake and ice cream! While Catherine Ellis did not partake in the dressing up part it didn't stop her from having a blast .... she also took along Lulu to the party and I think Lulu had as much fun as a doll can have :)

Happy birthday sweet Madeline!! We can't believe you are 4 years old - seems like yesterday you were a tiny newborn .... we had such a good time and can't wait to celebrate again next year!

The magic show ....

Front and center with baby Lulu and Madeline's sweet mama

Miss Madeline as a pirate ... cutest pirate I've ever seen!

My sweet girl getting a kick out of the magician

Henry and Cole (who belong to good AU friends Summer and Tricia)

Lovin' the show ... this girl knows funny when she sees it

Next thing you know baby Lulu had her own seat

Next she switched sides ....

Then she gave Lulu away ... just like that ...

What a good sport (I might add CE had never met him before)!

Checking in on Lulu - looks like he's doing a great job :)

Catherine Ellis and sweet Princess Madeline

raindrops keep fallin' on my head

2011-08-23T23:33:00.005-05:00

When I was a little girl my parents had an 8 track in the basement where we spent many afternoons and evenings playing .... one of our favorite 8 tracks was "Rain Drops Keep Fallin' on my Head" by B.J. Thomas. I have great, fun memories of playing with my brother and dancing for hours to this song .... so it's only fitting that I name this blog post after a song that brings great memories to mind ... because Catherine Ellis made some great memories (that she probably will not remember, but we will!) with new friends and a little rain a few weeks ago.

I think you all know by now that Catherine Ellis LOVES water! I'm not sure there is much else on this earth that makes her more giddy - maybe her baby sister - but water is her favorite thing right now. And rain - well she loves the rain. They had a rain week this spring at school and she got to wear her rain jacket, rain boots and take her umbrella and they played in and talked about the rain for days - it was her favorite week. She can not resist a puddle .... if she sees one she takes a dive into it and will insist that whoever is with her do the same. Lots of joy in rain for this little girl.

So - during a wonderful, calm rain a few weeks ago - she played - and played - and played - till her hearts content. It started out on our front porch and ended with 3 new friends from our street and one happy and worn out little girl!

So we started on the porch - letting her run back and forth and scream "it's raining, it's raining" and then she got her umbrella ....

Showing off her umbrella

Open it

Close it

So much fun!

And then she headed to the front yard .... and shortly thereafter, she was being invited across a few yards to join our neighbor's children up the street ... it started out so cute and innocent ... they were waving to Catherine Ellis and she was waving back and running and hiding from them ..... they kept calling her to come play ... and she was so excited that they were waving at her. She finally crossed the yard and met them in the middle and the real fun began!

waving to her soon to be new friends!

There they are ... three new (bigger and older) friends ...

Not sure what to think at first ...

Then super excited as the friends moved closer ....

Giddy!

waving, waving, waving

Making sure her Daddy is still back there ... just in case she needs back up :)

Finally meeting her new friends ....

What I don't have pictures of are Catherine Ellis and her new friends running up and down the drain ditches on our street and playing in the storm sewer .... they had THE best time! David was such a patient Daddy and sat outside for an hour in the light drizzle watching her play and laugh and have the time of her life. She thought she was so big - her new friends were 8, 5 and 4. I just wish I had one picture of her running with them in the drains screaming "it's raining, it's raining". Priceless.

Back to Reality

2011-08-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Caroline had her very first day of school on Monday, August 8th and she did great!! I guess a change of scenery is what she needed - or as David put it "it's official, she hates us!" HA! We have certainly had a time with colic at our house, but school seems to be much better and Miss Sabrena is indeed the baby whisperer and we are grateful for that!

I survived the first day as well and still feel like I run a rat race every day - but I guess with time I"ll build my endurance back up and life with work and two children will be very normal for me! In the meantime, I'll take all the help I can get as we are transitioning!

Here are a few pictures from our first day back to reality:

Chilling before loading up for school ....

Posing for our daily pic

Sweet C sleeping away in her new crib at school

Lady, where on earth are we????

How many people does it take to get Megann and children loaded - 3 adults -
Lord a mercy!

All in all we had a great first day back to reality - now if we can just keep on keeping on :) So many sweet friends checked in on us Monday and it sure made the day easier - we appreciate all the thoughts and prayers as we continue to adjust to our new life as a family of 4! You won't waste a prayer on us!

3 months

2011-08-15T21:42:00.019-05:00

Caroline is 3 months old today! She turned 13 weeks on Sunday and 3 whole months today! I know I will blink my eyes and she will be 6 months, then a year, then three!! A friend told me that her mother used to tell her "the days are long, but the years are short" .... I must say I agree. Our days are certainly full around here - and sometimes feel very long, but in all honesty it really flies by. The first year they grow and change so much - more than they will at any other time in their life - a lot of accomplishments in such a short time. So, we're holding on tight and trying to cherish these sweet moments with our wee one!

August 15, 2011 - 3 months old
(trying hard to sit up by yourself)

This past week was a HUGE week for sweet Caroline - she started school and had a great week - only one really fussy day - WOO HOO!! We are so proud - and she still seemed to like it today too!

So here is what our 3 month old is up to:

sleeping great again - you have gone 6-9 hours every night this week

you are on the move - you can scoot yourself around in circles in the crib and on the play mat

you can hold your head steady now while pulling up to a sitting position

you want to see the world... you don't like to be carried unless facing out

you rode in the BOB stroller for the first time this week without your car seat - you loved it!

you are smiling more and talking lots

you are still a bit fussy when nursing, but typically only the second feeding of the day - the rest are all fine

you are eating 6 times a day - and I'm still able to feed you at work - which is so nice!

you are able to wear a lot of your 3 month clothes

you are having more good days - we are SO hopeful this is the end of colic - 3-4 months is when it ends - at least that is what everyone has said - here's hoping to it being 3 months.

you have been working hard on rolling over - you are just about a centimeter away from being able to roll completely to your right side

you are starting to grab objects on your play mat

your birth announcements finally went out :)

we sure love this sweet face

Some sister love - Catherine Ellis 28 months, Caroline 3 months

Joy indeed

"....I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands"
Psalm 92:4

Poolside

2011-08-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

The past several Sundays we've headed to the pool for morning swim time. Typically we are in church, but since sweet Caroline didn't have her vaccinations until a couple of weeks ago we've stayed home. Catherine Ellis had too much energy to burn so we decided we needed to get out and about and the only thing that sounded remotely fun outside was the pool! And it's been a big hit! We're members of the JCC (Jewish Community Center) that is about 2 miles from our house and has the best swimming pool in town - it's HUGE - Olympic sized, separate diving area and a baby pool.

The first time we ventured to the pool we had no floaties and spent a lot of time in the baby pool. Both sets of grandparents bought Catherine Ellis floaties and this toddler has been a fish in the water since! She loves the pool! We are so glad she does because it's a nice break from the house for Caroline and I and good outside time with her Daddy. So here are some pictures from our last couple of trips to the pool:

Mom, let's get in the water .... that serious face ....

Showing off her new floaties .... girlfriend can swim in these!

Baby sister chilling in the shade - it was a little bright that day :)

Swimming on her own

Taking a break with Daddy

What goes up (way up!!) .....

...Must come down!

And back up again!

Sweet sister still snoozing away ....

And we even take books to read at the pool ...

We've had such a good time spending our summer mornings at the pool - we can't wait until Caroline can join us - we hope she loves water as much as the rest of us do! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

12 weeks - Flying the nest

2011-08-07T18:30:00.008-05:00

Oh sweet girl .... the time has come ... you're 12 weeks old today and the nest we've been living in is about to change big time! You and I are both about to learn to fly (me, again) .... slowly but surely:) I simply can not believe that 12 weeks are behind us, it feels like yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital and you made us complete! Tomorrow we'll attempt to return to reality - y'all say some prayers for us please!

August 7, 2011

This week was a hard week for us, probably the hardest we've had in your short life. I came down with mastitis - if you don't know what that is - be glad, very glad if you are a woman. Long story short it's an infection in the breast that you can get when breastfeeding sometimes. I've never had it before and I hope I never have it again. Thank goodness again for Mamas - Meme came and spent the entire week with us and she is the ONLY reason we survived. Thank you Mama!!

So here are some great things you have been up to in your 12th week of life:

colic - we detest it - we're all hoping we're at the end of this battle. It has been a big battle and we imagine you are just as ready as we are to say good-bye to it! This week you've had 3 or so good days - the rest, not so good.
you love your Meme! Meme certainly has a way with you and you enjoy her company and girl talk :)
napping - you did decent this week - sleeping in your bed for almost all of your naps most days and only in the swing if you woke up early.
night time sleeping - you took a few steps back - you're average this week is 6 hours - you've decided you like 4:00 a.m. for some reason! However you do have a few 7 and 8 hour stretches this week - we're hoping it was because we were all off routine with me being sick. Here's to you going back to your 8-10 hours a night real soon!
we've moved the boppy out of your bed - you're now sleeping on your back in your positioner. We'll see if that makes any difference.
you are on the move - you're thinking hard about rolling over - to your right side - but you haven't yet. You can spin yourself around in a complete circle using your feet and pushing on your play mat.
your vocabulary is increasing - lots of ohhing, cooing and ahhing.
you smile much more and sometimes ear to ear - we all squeal in delight when you do!
you are still super sensitive to loud sounds and anything that startles you.
you are sucking on your hand with more skill these days - close to finding a finger or a thumb.
still eating anywhere from 5-7 times a day.
in size 1 diapers and newborn clothes - some 0/3 months work for you and some are way too big.
your head control is impressive ... you can pop it up when you're on your tummy just like a turtle and look around :)

Telling us all about it today!

A little sister love before bedtime

Oh how you love your Meme and she loves you!!

Sweet girl, we'll be saying the scripture below a lot this week - you and I will be just fine and God will guide us ... transition is never easy, but I know you will grow to love your new teacher and little friends at school - a classroom full of little boys is waiting for their token girl to arrive! And we know you'll have them charmed in no time. It's always hard for us Mommys to let go and move to the next step (or at least it is for me!), but we know God has great plans for you and we're ready to watch them unfold! We love you dearly precious child!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"

Proverbs 3:5

11 weeks

2011-07-31T20:40:00.005-05:00

Happy 11 weeks sweet girl! We love you so! What a big week this has been for you! We begin our last week together on maternity leave and it is bittersweet .... we love watching you grow, but at the same time it's too fast!! Your 11th week was a big week:

July 31, 2011 - 11 weeks

you had your 2 month check-up - you have great stats: 11.2 lbs, 22 1/2 inches! You've gained almost 4 lbs since birth and grown over 2 inches!
you had your first round of immunizations - not fun! But they did make you really sleepy the next day. You were pretty fussy that night, but after a few hours calmed down and slept well.
you've quit sleeping as well as you were at night - BOO! You started out the week sleeping your normal 7-10 hours between feedings, but the past 3 days you've been up after as little as 5-6 hours. We're hoping it's just temporary!
this has been a tough week for you - the colic has been bad and the days have been long. We're hoping as you are nearing 3 months that you're almost finished with colic!
the swaddle makes you mad now, it's not calming for the first few minutes - not sure what we're going to do as you still don't have control over those sweet arms and can't sleep unswaddled. Any one have any tips?
you can almost scoot yourself around full circle on your play mat and hit a lot of your toys while playing
napping is still not great -some days you won't sleep more than 20-30 minutes during the day - and some days you'll take at least one 2 hour nap.
you're smiling a lot more in response to our smiles!
your Aunt Wren came to visit you and your big sister this weekend - had so much fun!
you've had a busy week with play dates, birthday lunches, and company - you have rolled well with the punches!

Sucking on your hand and a half grin all at the same time!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

2011-07-29T11:21:00.006-05:00

It's Daddy's birthday today!!! We have been so excited for a week at our house talking about Daddy's birthday! Catherine Ellis skipped school yesterday and baked red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing just for her Daddy - YUMMY! If you know Catherine Ellis and her kitchen, you know cupcakes (and tea) are her specialty!

Happy Happy Birthday Daddy we sure love you - you're the BEST. DADDY. EVER!

Love,
Catherine Ellis and Caroline

Icing the cupcakes yesterday ....

Some of it did make it on the cupcakes :)

Singing Happy Birthday to Daddy this morning
(Caroline was still asleep!)

Assisting in blowing out the birthday candle
(it takes two for everything around here!)

When sweet Caroline woke up this morning she picked out her outfit all by herself in honor of her Daddy on his birthday - it says I Love Daddy:

Happy Birthday Daddy!
Thanks for changing all my diapers and loving me :)

"For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

Genesis 18:19

Sunday Delight

2011-07-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Catherine Ellis loves to read, it's one of her favorite activities and this thrills her Mommy! I'm a big reader - would much rather read a book, newspaper, magazine, etc. than I would watch a television show. Catherine Ellis has really grown into reading and now reads many of her books by memory or in her own language - it's quite a production and a LOUD one at that (wonder where she gets that?).

Sunday afternoon as I was finishing up feeding Caroline in the nursery I could hear Catherine Ellis running all over the house, reading (yelling) her book. It was Beauty and the Beast and I wasn't sure what she was saying, but it was with a vengeance. She has taken up reading to Caroline when she is a bit fussy and Caroline seems to be amused with it most times - that is until Catherine Ellis starts screaming her story.

Here are some pictures from our Sunday Story Time:

The beginning of story time ...

Caroline is very interested ....

Oh hey Mom - should I be paying attention to my sister?

This is a great story ....

Ha, I just think this one is funny - Caroline is sticking out her tongue and big sister is a bit exasperated

Tiny little topple ....

Oh wow, after coming eye to eye with the book, I now find it interesting

Thank you for reading to me Catherine Ellis - you're the best big sister EVER!

10 weeks

2011-07-24T20:02:00.006-05:00

Caroline is 10 weeks today! She's growing so fast we can hardly keep up! She has her 2 month check up tomorrow and we're super excited to see how much she's grown weight wise, etc. It is also the beginning of her vaccinations, so say a little prayer for our sweet, sensitive girl. I'm not so sure she will handle them well - but she has been known to prove me wrong - so let's hope that's the case this time!

July 24, 2011

Here are some wonderful things that happened in her 10th week:

Sleeping like a champ, STILL! We are elated - really it's the best gift ever. We are on week 3 of 7-10 hours of sleep between feedings. We're not ready to announce those magical words - but you are doing super duper!
Eating well still - our nickname for you is piggy - you are so funny when it's time eat! You start breathing really fast and kicking those legs and swinging those arms and sometimes snorting ... hahaha. You are a member of the right family, sweet child!
This has been the 2nd best week of your life - the colic seems to have lessened to only 2-3 days/nights instead of every single day. We'll take it.
Last week you found your tongue - this week you realized you have a hand - your right one specifically and you are trying to figure out what to do with it and your tongue. You suck on it really loud, but haven't found a finger or thumb yet.
When playing on the exercise mat you can now change positions; you can use your legs to scoot yourself up the mat and sideways. Your big sister thinks this is really funny.
You can smile, you just like to keep it in and only show it to Mommy when you know she's alone and there are no cameras around. You make me work for it - but it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen!
You are wearing 3 month clothes pretty easily now - your newborn clothes are getting snug.
You are alert a lot of the day now and haven't napped great this week - we'll work on it and try to get better at napping next week.
You really only like for Mommy to put you to bed or soothe you - Daddy loves trying, but you sure give him a run for his money!

Look what I found ...

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Mark 10:14

Capturing our sweet newborn ....

2011-07-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

We had a family photo shoot at home the last week in May to capture sweet Caroline in all her glory at 2 weeks - she did super duper - slept the entire time - which is perfect for a newborn shoot. Catherine Ellis was wild and crazy - but very cooperative for a 2 year old that had been at school all day, not eaten dinner and didn't get to join the photo shoot until 30 minutes before her bedtime - yeah, she did awesome! It was hard work and we'd all worked up a sweat by the time the shoot was over, but Jessica captured a precious time in our lives that we can look back on for years to come - priceless.

We're so pleased - I'm not sharing them all because a few of the shots we are using for Caroline's birth announcements - so you'll have to wait until they arrive snail mail, but until then here is a sneak peak - enjoy:

Patiently reading and playing in her room waiting for us to get started

Oh sweetness ....

Precious face ...

Tiny feet ...

Perfection

Hello there baby sister ...

Practicing how she will hold baby Caroline ....

First attempt .. she's patting the baby ...

Catherine Ellis is 'shhhhing' and Caroline is telling her she's not gonna have it

We sure adore this sweet child ...

And just in case you were amazed at how together everyone looks, I assure you we were far from 'having it together'. A toddler and a 2 week old are tons of fun ..... here is glimpse of what we really looked like behind the scenes or what I like to call 'real life':

Jumping on the bed, while we try to corral her and keep Caroline from crying .. think David's face says it all :)

Two Year Portraits

2011-07-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

Catherine Ellis had her two year portraits taken at the end of April and in the whirl wind of life it's taken me this long to get them downloaded and posted. We tried the first photo shoot in Alexander City the weekend of Easter - Catherine Ellis had been sick and needless to say it didn't go well - we got about 10-12 pictures from that shoot. Sweet Jessica, our wedding photographer extraordinaire, met us again in Birmingham a week later at the Botanical Gardens and things went much better. We were able to get lots of great shots of Catherine Ellis in all her glory and some of us as a family of 3 before sweet Caroline joined us!

So fair warning there are lots of pictures here - the first 5 are from Mistletoe Bough in Alex City - it's the birth home of our dear Claddie and where I had my bridal portraits taken. It holds a special place in our hearts, so we were excited to have a few shots there! As you can tell Catherine Ellis wanted to play not pose for pictures and she just HAD to have her Easter bunnies in the pictures:

Meme and The Cains

She really almost fell in the pool of water behind here - she's turned around because we are saying "Catherine Ellis be careful, don't get too close to the water" over and over and over

Pretty well sums up her mood that afternoon, but she has her Easter bunny

Running from Daddy on the wrap around porch

Post melt-down - but isn't that a sweet face?

The very next week Jessica met us at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens - Catherine Ellis was well and in her usual good mood - we had a blast and Jessica worked her tail off (along with Daddy!). Catherine Ellis has more energy than a herd of wild horses, but Jessica and David kept up and we are SO happy with the result - lots of pictures - enjoy:

A natural Vanna White in the making - her great Paw Paw would be thrilled!

Stopping mid-chase with Daddy for a quick pic (really a deep breath so she could continue the chase)

Trying to escape ...

Silly girl ....

Playing in the roses ...

Throw me up there Daddy - she loves this game

And that's how we got this picture - David tossed, we caught and Jessica is that good :)

Sweetness, giving Baby Caroline a kiss ....

Oh love of my life .... Mama and her sweet girl

She loves shoes - especially Mommy's

One of the few family shots - but a good one!

She was ready to eat pizza ....

But of course, when it was time to go, she wasn't ready

Expressive child of ours .... we've got our hands full :)

One last parting shot - thank you Jessica - we LOVE YOU!

9 weeks

2011-07-17T20:10:00.006-05:00

Caroline turned 2 months old on Friday and is 9 weeks today! The time keeps getting faster and faster and the days fly by! Happy 9 weeks sweet, sweet girl - we love you SO much!

July 17, 2011

Here are some memories from week nine:

You have had the best week of your life this past week, hands down! Every day was a good day! You ate well, you slept well and you screamed much, much less. We are THRILLED! You have always been a joy, but this past week has been super duper joyous with a newborn that doesn't scream several hours a day. We are praying we're over the hump. Colic, Colic go away.....
You've learned to cope better with your tummy issues - we're still taking Zantac once a day and probiotics every day.
You and Mommy started jogging this week - yay!! We hope to keep it up! And our friends Amanda and sweet Mr. Archer (3 weeks old) have started joining us on walks!
you're now nursing up to 15 minutes on each side - sometimes more, sometimes less, but for several weeks it was just a struggle to get you to 8-10 minutes
Since you're eating better, you're still sleeping like a ROCK STAR! You've slept over 8 hours and up to 10 hours every night this past week .... you go girl:)
you like to play on your play mat and kick at some of the hanging toys
your cooing and talking has increased
on our two ventures out this week you were alert and awake for most of one without crying and slept through the other one - seems like you've learned we are constantly on the go and you're dealing with it!
you've been to the splash pad and pool twice now and have slept through each visit while your big sister squealed and played with delight
you've discovered you have a tongue
we took the pink ribbon down today - bittersweet!

A little sister love ...

Catherine Ellis -27 months, Caroline - 9 weeks

Mama, Caroline and the infamous pink bow :)

More sisterly love after a photo shoot - Caroline needed some comforting and CE is always there to lend a hand - sweet sisters!

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
~ Numbers 6:24-26

Splish Splash

2011-07-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Love affair with water - it's a popular Brad Paisley song right now and it describes Catherine Ellis's feelings perfectly! This sweet child loves her some water. Every Friday at school is water day - they arrive in their swimsuits, lathered in sunscreen and ready to play outside in some sort of water activity - I feel safe saying it's her favorite day of the week - just because of the water.

One of the things I'm trying to take advantage of while on leave from work is spending quality time with the girls. Caroline and I get hours and hours of quality time - Catherine Ellis and I do not. So I've started either letting her stay home with me one day a week or picking her up early from school and doing a fun play date with friends - it's been a hit with all of us! We've had such a good time playing with friends and doing fun things that we'd probably not get to do otherwise!

So this Friday we joined our good friends the Byars at the splash pad in Gardendale - this is Catherine Ellis's new favorite place on earth:) She had a BLAST! The minute we walked through the opening to the splash pad she started squealing and running and never looked back. We were there for a good hour and a half and I had to talk her into leaving. I have a feeling we'll be back soon! It was the perfect afternoon - only a few other families there - so we had plenty of room and Caroline and I had our pick of shady spots under the pavilion within view of Catherine Ellis.

Amazed by all the water ...

Running under the water ...

Playing with the Byars family

She's a real pro with the water gun - kind of scary :)

Getting a soaking from the water rings ...

Planning her next move

Running wild

The infamous splash pad

She discovered how to sit on top of the water spout

oops - moved a bit too much

The one time I got her to stop long enough to look at me

Sweet sister chilling in the shade

Stomping on the water

Carrying water and throwing it down the drain - this kept her busy for an hour

Playing with sweet baby Z

And last a little video of Catherine Ellis and sweet Z playing together - she is so good with babies and loves them - we are lucky indeed!

8 weeks

2011-07-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sweet Caroline is 8 weeks old - and will be 2 months on Friday! She is growing like a weed and changing so fast! She's starting to be awake a lot more during the day and interact - so fun to listen to her 'talk' and take in the world around her!

July 10, 2011 - 8 weeks old

I've got one more month left at home with this sweet girl and I'm trying to soak it all in - I know I'll never get this time with her again and one day she'll be as big as Catherine Ellis and not want to be held, rocked, etc. What a sweet time!

Here are some things she's up to at 8 weeks:

you are sleeping like a ROCK STAR (deserving of all caps!) at night! This past week you went 5 hours the first night, then 8 hours, 7 hours, 9 hours the next two nights and last night 10 hours between feedings! You go girl! It has been so nice to be able to sleep at night. You really have been a dream at night from the beginning - I guess I better knock on wood since I'm announced this out loud :)
you are getting so big - we think you probably weigh 11 lbs - we'll know next week for sure when we head to the doctor for your two month check up
the colic is better - it's not every day that you're screaming and hysterical - and you have 2-4 good days a week now. Rocking helps, bouncing helps, the swing helps and getting out of the house helps.
smiling progress: you're almost there - we saw a hint of one on Friday - any day now (at least we're hoping!!)
our morning walks are still going well - you typically stay awake now for about the first 15-20 minutes and sleep the last 20 or so. Sometimes you will sleep the entire walk, just depends on when we head out.
you are alert and awake much more these days - I think we're getting into a routine of you rising and eating and then playing for 30-40 minutes and then sleeping anywhere from 30 minutes t0 2 hours. You seem to be getting into a routine (I use that loosely) of a good long nap mid-morning going down between 10-11 a.m. and then another really good mid-afternoon/early evening nap somewhere between 3-4 p.m.
you are sleeping in your crib for naps again!! Not all of them - but I do try to get you down in your crib at these those 2 big nap times mid-morning and mid-afternoon. You don't always go down and stay down, but you're at least back to sleeping in your crib during the day. 2 weeks ago we could only get you to sleep in the swing.
you're on probiotics for your tummy and they seem to be helping. You've also been to the pediatric chiropractor twice now and are still taking Zantac once a day. Who knows if any of this is working - but your spells are better and we'll take it!
you are losing what little hair you had - you still have a good bit on the sides in the back, but the front and top of your head is almost bald. Sweet bald head!

Seems like she's looking right at me ... think it was the flash :)

Sweet face!

Precious leg rolls/creases and tiny feet/toes

Delicate hands and long little fingers

Waving bye-bye (and ready for Mommy to be done with the photo shoot)

And the child grew and became strong in spirit ...
~ Luke 1:80

27 Months

2011-07-09T15:30:00.012-05:00

We are quickly approaching 2 1/2 years! Today Catherine Ellis is 27 months old. Catherine Ellis is a full-throttle two-year old - there is no doubt about it! I think it's also safe to say we're experiencing some of the terrible twos as well - it's a struggle for her because she wants to be so independent and such a big girl, but the reality of life is that she's only two!! She thinks she is two going on 25!! We've certainly got our hands full with the sweet child and we couldn't be happier about it!

July 9, 2011

At 27 months here are some of the wonderful things we are experiencing and you are learning about the world:

you talk in complete sentences now; you can communicate your feelings, thoughts, opinions, anything verbally. You can repeat EVERYTHING someone else says.
you can count to 15 easily
you know all of your primary colors: red, blue, yellow, green, pink, brown
you love to color - still haven't colored on anything but paper but that's only because we watch you like a hawk - oh wait there was that one time you colored with a sharpie on Mommy's leather passenger seat - lovely:)
you're a super duper fabulous big sister - you are so helpful with your sister and love being with her! For this we are very thankful!
you play well with other children - you haven't met a stranger yet
you still love being outside, even if it's 100 degrees and it is frequently these days
you love your 'new car' and can pick it out in a parking lot no matter how many other cars are there
you love school, your teachers and your play mates
reading is still a favorite - you've memorized several books and frequently like to read to Mommy and Daddy and now days baby sister
you LOVE your baby dolls, they go with you everywhere and do many of the things your baby sister does
you like grocery shopping at Publix - I think mainly because you get a free cookie - a girl after my own heart:)
you will eat just about anything - still love fruits and veggies and chicken and pizza
you sleep well - you go to bed around 7:30-8:00 and rise at 7:00-7:15 during the weekdays and sometimes after 8-9 a.m. on the weekends
you love riding in the stroller and going for walks
you are a diva - Hollywood watch out
dance parities make your day - and your parents
bossy, bossy, bossy
well behaved for the most part - in public you are typically very well-behaved, at home you have your moments, but you're allowed!
you have the memory of a historian - you hear it once and you never forget it!
developmentally you are making leaps and bounds at school and we are so proud!

This morning Catherine Ellis was in a super silly mood - so we've had a lot of fun today! She and I ran errands all by ourselves this morning and it was so nice to spend some alone time just us! We went to Pepper Place Market to get some of the fruits and veggies she loves so much - she was in charge of the money - and all business:) Then we headed to Publix - which she loves because not only does she get to drive the cart, but gets a cookie too!

Silly girl!

Excited about her free cookie at Publix

My money handler - look at that serious business face :)

And here she is with her sweet sister this morning - they often sit together while Catherine Ellis teaches Caroline all about the world ... Caroline is usually pretty compliant but not this morning - she did not want to hear what Catherine Ellis was preaching:

Telling baby sister all about throwing a ball

Sweet little sister was not having it, but Catherine Ellis kindly gave her her ball in hopes she would stop crying ...

Holiday weekend: Family Style

2011-07-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

We had a great long weekend over the 4th - lots of good quality time together! It's always so nice to have Daddy at home with us - not just for the extra set of hands (priceless), but because he's so much fun! We did lots of fun things over the weekend like visit Pepper Place Farmer's Market for the first time this summer, several family dance parties - even Caroline got in on one, some play time in Mommy and Daddy's bed in the mornings, and some pool time! Yay for long weekends!

Early morning hang out

"Evrrybody get under the covers Daddy" ... says Catherine Ellis

We headed to the pool on the fourth - it was our first pool outing of the summer - I know we're a little behind:) Catherine Ellis had a blast - started out in the baby pool and then graduated to the big pool. She spent much of the time in the water trying to convince us that she could swim on her own - she didn't want us to hold her - and we've not invested in arm floaties yet - needless to say she was a force to be reconciled with!! She did spend a lot of time 'swimming' with her Daddy and he showed her some swimming techniques - she was excited about that. Meanwhile, sweet Caroline and I hung out under the shade and fans and took in all the excitement - it wore Caroline out!

Swimming in the big pool

Having a ball - her mouth was wide open most of the time - she swallowed half the pool :)

All this fun is making me sleepy ....

Trying to float on her back ...

Taking a little siesta at the pool ....

Taking a break from swimming, but never from supervising .... always the watchful eye

And last, but not least a glimpse of our dance parties family style - even Caroline got in on this one! Catherine Ellis LOVES Taylor Swift's new song "Mean" - we've heard it at least 200 times by now (thank you David!!):

And a parting picture of two sweet sisters getting ready for bed:

7 weeks

2011-07-04T19:53:00.008-05:00

Caroline is 7 weeks! My maternity leave is flying by and I can't believe it's half way through. We've had a good week this past week and many things seem to be improving for sweet Caroline. As with all of us, it just takes time to adjust to the real world! Bless her heart! She's certainly been a trooper in joining our crazy little family - she makes us complete!

July 3, 2011 - 7 weeks

Here are some things sweet girl is up to these days:

the colic seems to have reached its peak - week 6 was a rough one for you, but week 7 has been much better to you ... you seem to have learned how to cope a little better and Mommy and Daddy are learning how to soothe you a bit better a well
you are almost smiling - not a full smile, but you certainly are close!
you are making more sounds - oohing, ahhing a bit
your awake time is increasing - after eating you are wake now about 45 minutes before you are ready to sleep
you do not want to sleep in your crib during the day - you've been fighting this since week 5 - Mommy is going to work with you this week to try to get you back to your crib at least once or twice a day
you love sleeping in the swing - can I get a loud AMEN for whoever invented baby swings??? Thank you Jesus!
you're still eating well - fussy at times, but not near what you were. You're eating 6-7 times a day.
you are still super good to us at night - your stretches are now averaging between 6-8 hours the first stretch and then 3-4 hours the next. Your last feeding is between 8-9 p.m. most nights and your first morning feeding is typically somewhere between 5-7 a.m. I typically only have to feed you once in the middle of the night - somewhere between 2-4 a.m.
you continue to fight the swaddle - bless you - but it sure helps you sleep at night!
you are starting to calm yourself enough to fall asleep during the day sometimes on your own for about 10 minutes - this is huge for you!
you can follow me with your eyes and turn your head a bit when I walk away from you
you can hold up your head fairly well for a few seconds and then it comes crashing down

We sure love you sweet, sweet girl! Thank you for adding joy to our family - our life certainly wouldn't be the same without you!

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
~ John 1:16

Joy ...

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

David and I celebrated 5 years of marriage yesterday - 5 years of life that have been better together than they would have been apart. Joy - pure joy - is what I think describes the past 5 years - don't get me wrong, we've certainly had our share of sorrow, hard times, bumps in the road and life getting us down from time to time - however, the joy outweighs it all.

I remember like yesterday the day I met David - he was SO nice to me (and cute!!). The kind of guy that everyone likes - a great personality, a great sense of humor and the epitome of nice guy. We were great friends for a year before we started dating ... I think the foundation of a friendship is what gets us through the hard times - love is good, you need it, but a strong foundation that is built on faith with God in the center of our lives plus a great friendship are two things that have certainly bode us well these past 9 years that we've known each other ..... time really does fly when you're having fun.

I loved our wedding - there are days I want to go back and live through it all over again - it was so much fun to have the merging of all of our friends and family to share in our love and joy during one special weekend. Thank you to those friends and families who are still huge parts of our lives for supporting us, praying for us and sharing in our joys (and sorrows)! I now know it takes a village to raise children, but it also takes a village to keep a marriage together - communities of faith, friends, family and loved ones to keep us accountable, remind us of the good and see us through the bad.

God has richly blessed us and we have two precious children to show for our love too - it's a whirlwind most days, but there is no one else on earth I'd rather live my life with or stand beside when the going gets tough. Thank you Bay for loving me! Here's to many, many more anniversaries!

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Baby Workout

2011-06-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

We got out the play mat for the first time last week - it seems to be a big hit with sweet Caroline! And Catherine Ellis - I think I've mentioned before that she likes to revert back to the old days when she was a wee one and play alongside her baby sister - sure makes for interesting play times most days:)

Here are some pictures from Caroline's first adventure on the play mat - she was having such a good time that even her Daddy decided to get in on the fun before big sister joined in as well:

Wow, this is a lot of stuff to look at ....

Playing with Daddy

Giving Daddy a kiss ...

Amazed at the flashing lights that also play music

I love newborn expressions - it makes me wonder what is going through their tiny mind!

I also captured a bit of video from when big sister joined us fresh out of the tub - not the greatest cinematography - but a glimpse of how much Catherine Ellis loves playing with Caroline:

6 weeks

2011-06-26T13:22:00.011-05:00

Sweet Caroline is 6 weeks old today - say it ain't so! She is starting to be more alert during the days - which is fun. Catherine Ellis really loves it because it means she has more opportunities to interact with her. Happy 6 weeks sweet girl - what joy you bring to our family!

6 weeks - Sunday, June 26, 2011

Here are some things you've been up to in your sixth week of life:

you are more alert these days - you will stay awake almost an hour after eating some times.
the ceiling fan is a big hit with you - your sister loved it too (think all babies do!)
you LOVE the changing table - that seems to be the only place we can get you calm sometimes - works like a charm.
your tummy issues are still around - you are having more good days though - so that has been nice. We've just about ruled everything out with the doctor and have come to the conclusion that you have colic. Your crying spells are generally at night from 6-10 p.m. We understand that time will heal and that by the time you're 3-4 months it will go away. We sure hope so for your sake (and ours!).
you are still eating well - during the day you can go a bit longer - sometimes 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretches and at night you still do fabulous - pulling stretches that last sometime between 5-7 hours.
you sleep well at night for the most part - we swaddle you which helps, but you still have one long stretch (5-7 hours) followed by a shorter one (3-4 hours) which means oftentimes I only have to get up once during the night (if you don't count 4-5 a.m. as night time)
you tried the play mat for the first time this week - and seem to like it - you kick around and make all kinds of noises.
your Godmother came to visit you this week - Caroline Flory - she thinks you are precious just like we do:)
we are working on smiling - you seem like you're on the verge and we're super excited about that

Catherine Ellis, 26 months & Caroline, 6 weeks

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made ~
Psalm 139:14

A little trim ...

2011-06-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Aunt B also visited last week (told you we had a busy and fun-filled week!) and spent some time with us girls - it was so good to see her! We always love a visit from our greats - Uncle Chip was not able to join us this time, but we know we'll see him soon!

Catherine Ellis was way overdue for a trim - Aunt B used to cut my hair when I was a little girl - so we took the opportunity to put her hair cutting skills to work and she trimmed Catherine Ellis's hair - it looks much better:) Thank you Aunt B! Come visit us again soon!

In bad need of a trim ...

Sitting still for Aunt B

Looking good

She really is thrilled about her hair - doesn't it look better?

Being silly with Aunt B!

Just us girls ...

2011-06-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

I decided to keep Catherine Ellis home from school on Tuesday because I've missed her so much! That's been one of the hardest parts of the transition for me .... not getting to spend time with her. To go from riding to and from school every morning and evening, story time, the occasional bath time and weekends filled with toddler fun, to 30-45 minutes a day has been hard - for both of us. However, as with anything time has helped and we're adjusting! But, I still miss my sweet girl - so she played hooky today and we had a great time with some great friends!

Amy and Lindsay are friends from Auburn and they both have little ones that are almost the exact same age as Catherine Ellis and Caroline - so we had a play date today at Miss Hayes's house - and boy was it fun! Hayes has quite the playroom and lots of room to run around and play - the girls had a blast! And the tiny siblings were not left out - they all range from 16 weeks to 2 weeks and they got to spend some time getting to know one another as they slept and hung out in their car seats and bouncy seats this morning :) Thank you for hosting Hayes and Amy! We can't wait to do it again!

The youngest playmates: L to R - Elizabeth, 2 weeks/Watson, 16 weeks
/Caroline, 5 weeks

Caroline (big sister to Elizabeth) and Catherine Ellis brewing tea

Cooking up a storm in the kitchen

Sweet baby Caroline playing hard :)

Sweet friends: L to R - Catherine Ellis, Hayes and Caroline

Sweet Meme

2011-06-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

Thank goodness for Mamas - can I get a loud amen?? I would not be surviving these newborn days and nights if it weren't for the support of my Mama. Mamas just know how to make it all better! My mother came up last Monday to help with sweet Caroline and what a blessing - thank you so much Mama! Not only did she give me several breaks, she kept me company, listened, took Catherine Ellis to and from school, made lots of ice for us, took our recycling and washed and folded lots of clothes and many other things! What a treat! Thank you Mama for all the support - I love you!

Meme and Caroline have quite the time together - they sure are fond of each other! And Catherine Ellis loves to cut up with her Meme - Meme's a good sport:) Here are some pictures from our week with Meme:

Meme feeding sweet Caroline - yummy!

Hugging Meme

Being a newborn is hard work!

Cuddling with Meme

Meme and Catherine Ellis before riding to school

Thank you Mama for keeping us together last week - we don't know what we'd do without you - it takes a village indeed!

Mother's love is peace.
It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.

5 weeks

2011-06-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sweet Caroline was five weeks on Sunday! Can't believe we are nearing the end of June. Sweet baby girl is having a terrible time with her tummy still. I can no longer pretend like it's not a huge issue - she's pretty miserable anytime she's awake. She's constantly trying to push gas out and spends most of her time awake in pain screaming and crying .... her tummy just gurgles and gurgles - it's so very, very sad.

I've been to the lactation consultants and have talked with her doctor's nurse several times now. Last week they decided it was reflux - I did not and still do not think it's reflux - after a week of being on Zantac we've not seen any improvement - so as of today she's off of it. There is one more thing - probiotics- that we are going to try and see if it will give her some relief. Please pray for her. She's so tiny and can't cope and is in pain - not fun for her or any of us.

But, even if this is a really hard time we're still finding joy in this precious little girl - here are some things she's been up to at 5 weeks:

you are nursing better - we've figured out some of our issues and you're still eating well - weighed in at 9.4 lbs last Monday - a baby your age is typically 8.6 lb - our sweet little piggy!
you take a bottle well now - Mommy needed to get some things under control with her milk production and you ended up taking to the bottle finally - like a champ:)
you continue to be taken with your sister and let her hold you and give you your passy etc. You don't fuss much when she's 'taking care of her baby'
you are enjoying your morning walks with Mommy and sleep most of the time
you can hold your little sweet round head up - you just bob it all over the place
you love baths - it seems to calm you
you are more alert and not napping as well - but Mommy is working hard to get the napping back on track
you still typically only get up once a night to eat - you go down somewhere between 10 -11 p.m. and are up around 3-4 a.m. for your night feeding. We rise in the mornings somewhere between 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. - oftentimes this depends greatly on how cooperative your big sister is and how minimal/loud the morning melt-down is :)
you fight the swaddle like Houdini - we are using the miracle blanket swaddler now (thank you Amy!!) and it's working better - you still can figure your way out of it some nights!

Oh sweet Caroline - we love you so!! We can't wait to see how you grow and change over the next several weeks!

Father's Day

2011-06-20T11:30:00.013-05:00

Catherine Ellis and Caroline have the BEST Daddy in the whole wide world - hands down!! David blows all other Daddy's out of the water in our humble opinion :) Here are just a few of the many, many reasons (there are too many to list here!) he is a wonderful father:

he has endless patience - this comes in handy most every minute of the day with a 2 year old and a quite fussy 5 week old
a super sense of humor - he tries to find the funny in most experiences
a playful personality - he loves to play like he's a little boy all over again and Catherine Ellis loves it!
he is constantly involving Catherine Ellis in his projects - she thinks she is such a big helper and that's because David lets her help and teaches her lots of cool things - like replacing the wheel on a lawnmower or putting together rocking chairs.
he can sing like nobody's business - this has proved wonders for fussy newborns and toddlers who refuse to calm down and go to sleep:)
he rarely complains - even if he's been up just as many times as I have in the night - he just does it and is happy to do it most days.
he provides for us - he makes sure we have all the essentials in life and then lots of fun extras
he's a Godly man - he reminds us daily that God and faith are the center of our family - Catherine Ellis will know more bible stories than me in another year:)

Caroline telling Daddy "Happy Father's Day!"

Daddy's sweet girls

A little sisterly love - Catherine Ellis, 26 months/Caroline - 5 weeks

I could go on and on - Thank you David for being a wonderful Daddy to our children - you make parenting a joy! We love you to the moon and back!

4 Weeks

2011-06-12T00:00:00.002-05:00

We've been busy busy the past 2 weeks - and I'm behind on the blog! So, let me catch y'all up. Week four was a really fun week for us - we had something almost every night that week! The highlight of our week was a visit from the Hendersons! Criddy is one of my best friends from Auburn - we lived in Sassnet Hall our freshman year across the hall from one another and have been buds since the fall of 1997 - man time flies when you're having fun! I moved to California with her and two other friends after Auburn - we all returned home, but Criddy fell in love and stayed in San Diego and is now married and has sweet Allie - her adorable 6 month old daughter. They were in town for her little sister's wedding and we got to spend Wednesday night with them - so much fun (and a little crazy!!). Here are some pictures of Allie and Catherine Ellis:

Catherine Ellis - 26 Months / Allie - 6 months

Catherine Ellis and Allie chewing on the puzzle pieces (CE loves reverting back to a baby!)

Enjoying the bubble machine with Mr. Mais and Allie

It was so fun to see the girls play together - and don't worry sweet Caroline was here but she slept most of the time! She'll be able to play this time next year when we get to visit with them again. Thanks for coming Criddy, Mais and Allie! We love y'all!

Saturday morning we had a little bath time with Caroline - Catherine Ellis is quite the helper and big sister - always wanting to help with sweet Caroline! I think Caroline enjoyed having her help and Catherine Ellis was DELIGHTED to help:)

Saturday afternoon we loaded up and headed to Jasper for David's 10 year high school reunion - so much fun and lots of faces that we don't get to see often ... it was wonderful to catch up with old friends and spend a little time out of the house with adults! Here are some pictures:

The boys

David and Erin

Lauren and Me

David and Keri breaking it down on the dance floor

So - sweet Caroline - what was she up to week 4:

June 12, 2011 - 4 weeks

still dealing with tummy issues - bless your heart. Mommy finally calls the doctor the next week.
You and I started walking in the mornings - we made it out 3 times!

First morning walk

You spent about 10 minutes outside helping Mommy plant the flower bed out front and were not fond of the mid-ninety degree weather
You tried out the swing for the first time and liked it!
You are sleeping at least one 5 hour stretch during the night - it's super!! And we are so thankful!
You still like to eat - you are our little piggy:)
You are napping and sleeping in your crib in your nursery during the day and at night now
You are a great traveler - the roadways make you sleep - it does your Mommy too - nothing like a car nap!

3 weeks

2011-06-06T15:08:00.012-05:00

We started week 3 off with a bang - Caroline got to meet her Pop Pop for the first time - it was super fun to see them together! Pop sure loves his girls! Catherine Ellis also got to spend Memorial Day bossing Pop around - he loves it and she does too - they had a big time. They went for a walk, did a little swinging, went shopping and rode her 'motorcycle' (tricycle). I know Pop was exhausted when he left!

Pop Pop and his grand girls!

Pop Pop and Caroline meeting for the first time - May 30, 2011

CE and Pop Pop - she calls this her motorcycle

Then Monday night Catherine Ellis got sick with the croup and a virus and because her fever was high she had to leave us - Caroline is too tiny and couldn't run the risk of getting a fever. Catherine Ellis left Tuesday to stay with her Gran and Pop in Jasper - we missed her so much! She finally returned on Friday - free of fever, but still not feeling well - this past weekend was a challenging one to say the least - however, Caroline hasn't gotten sick so we are super thankful and Catherine Ellis finally turned a corner Sunday night and is feeling much better. Whew! What a week our third week was!

Me and CE - even sick she's cute!

We decided to try our Sunday tradition of pizza on the town for the first time last night - we headed to Davenports and it was so yummy! Caroline slept the entire time and Catherine Ellis only had one meltdown - which is stellar! Things went so well we decided we'd treat ourselves to ice cream at Mountain Brook Creamery - it's amazing what a change of scenery and fresh air will do for the soul :) We had a blast and our first outing as a family of 4 was a lot of fun!

Yummy blueberry ice cream!

So good!

Daddy sharing some of his ....

Catherine Ellis was not so sharing with hers ....

While we were out we sat next to a family with a special needs child - who was probably about 16 years old and couldn't function without an adult with her. And here I was coming off a weekend feeling down and out about having to take care of two perfectly healthy children under two. Forgive me Lord. It reminded me again of how very blessed we are to have two healthy children. Perspective. It really is what it's all about.

So, three weeks down and although it was a challenging week it was a good one too! Here is what Caroline is up to at 3 weeks:

Caroline - 3 weeks - June 5, 2011

A little awake time and some open eyes!

Sleeping - you're a great sleeper - during the day you typically sleep well - every other day or so we'll have a fussy day, but to be expected. At night you are a champ - we are hoping this trend will continue. You go over 4 hours between feedings and have been for several days now.
Tummy issues - these are much better - but you're little digestive system is still figuring it out. We have learned the trick is in burping you often during feedings. We read all this stuff about nursing babies not taking in as much air, but you take in plenty and now that we know this, it seems to be getting better.
Feeding - you still like to eat - my sweet little piggy:) A little girl after her mother's own heart:)
Stats: At your two week appointment you were 8.4 lbs and still 20 1/4 inches long. You are growing SO fast.
Diapers - size 1's are starting to fit a little better. The newborns are getting snug. You're still wearing newborn clothing. Even the newborn gowns are still very big on you.
Awake time - is still not often - you are typically awake to eat (sometimes this is hard work to get you to stay awake!) and maybe for about 10-30 minutes after eating.
You had your first tub bath this week!